Marked
by Summer Leigh Wind
Summary: Lucius doesn't know what he's getting himself into when he joins his uncle Riddle's "club". But once he sees, he takes the desperate chance he to save the soul of an all but stranger. COMPLETE


_**Marked**_

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><p>Cradling the weeping thirteen-year-old in his own aching arm, Lucius brought him close to bring his lips near the boy's ear and shush him. Severus Snape only stuttered on air in response. Shifting so he could alleviate the weight on his legs, the soon to be Seventh year brushed his hand through the boy's limp hair and thought on what had transpired over the course of the last twenty-four hours.<p>

xXxXxXx

Father's funeral had been held early yesterday morning under life-affirming blue skies, Lucius had watched dried eyed as his father's casket was lowered into the dirt of the Malfoy family cemetery. It had been good to see his father put in his final resting place, the man had been suffering for years on end and to see him finally being put into his last bed had given the newly minted adult a sense of relief.

There need be no more worrying for him whilst at school. He could pursue Narcissa Malfoy fully now without think of his father lying alone in his room shivering and chattering from the ever-constant pain he felt. And-

He'd turned away from the sight of the unfilled hole then, his uncle Riddle watching not far with solemn eyes. He'd been friends with Lucius's father in his school days and was an avid visitor until the very end. This evening, Lucius's uncle Riddle had promised he'd be inducted into his close circle - same as his father had been years and years before.

It was nice. Lucius felt like it was going to be one of the few ways he'd be able to keep the father he remembered from his early childhood close to him. By being apart of his old club and allegiance. It would also be good once he graduated because his uncle had a good stronghold in many things, from St. Mungos to he Ministry and whatever plan he had for after school he knew he'd be successful with his father's friend's help.

Having the family elf begin to fill in his father's final rest place, Lucius turned away from the sight to join his uncle Riddle. The man had smiled at him and reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ready Lucius?"

He nodded. "Yes sir."

Guiding him away from the deep tresses of Malfoy land, uncle Riddle offered "Why don't we get some lunch?"

The rest of day had passed in a mildly pleasant, if somber way. They had lunch at uncle Riddle's manor, then retired to his parlor to drink fire whiskey and wait beside the crackling fire for evening when he'd be inducted into his circle. Neither said all that much, but Lucius hadn't felt like talking and uncle Riddle had been busy reading.

The silence shouldn't have been allowed, he realized now. He had known too few things, asked hardly a handful of questions and given not near the thought it had deserved.

But what had Lucius know twenty-four hours ago?

Nothing.

The evening had been an interesting affair to start, still in his mourning robe, he'd watched old acquaintances and a few friends along with their parents - uncle Riddle's contemporaries - trickle in. They had shaken hands with both of them, some smiling, a few just as stern faced as he. The turning point had been when the betrothed Bellatrix Black waltzed through the floo without her fiance in sight.

A vicious grin on her harsh face, she'd grabbed his hand and gave it a frightfully strong squeeze.

"We're going to have an _excellent _night, aren't we my brother?"

Bemused, he found himself focusing on the last word more than the rest. "I'm not your brother, Bellatrix."

She had given a cackle. "Oh, _Lucius _we both know what your intentions with my sister are."

"I-" but she didn't stick around, pleased with having flustered him, she'd gone off to join the rest of uncle Riddle's guests in the dining hall.

Chuckling, uncle Riddle's eye had seemed to glitter as he gestured for him to follow the rest of the guests to the dining hall. "I'll be just a minute, Lucius."

"Alright," and he'd gone.

Dinner was a regal affair - nothing new to a young man of his standing - it was filled with idle chatter, clanking wine glasses and good food. It was as they finished that it changed, calling them to attention, uncle Riddle had smiled at all of them and boomed:

"Tonight we are here to welcome a fine wizard into our company!"

Some clapping began and his father's friend waited for it to die down a tad before he finished his declaration.

"In a short time, Lucius Malfoy will prove himself to us that he is a true pureblood and wizard by taking part in tonight's mission; so, my friends, welcome him heartily!"

And they did. Eyes focused on him, some faces smiling, some stern. But no matter their expression, their eyes were all the same - _blank_.

Just what was tonight's mission to be?

Feeling the first unfurling of fear in his stomach, Lucius had smirked at the other guests and lifted his glass of wine to his lips and downed it all in one sip. He would need all the courage he could get tonight, he knew. Whatever it was would not be like the protests from when he was a small child, nor would it be the destruction of a muggle-lover's store or home; whatever it was, it would be _worse. _Lucius could see it in the eyes of those around him and felt it in the frenetic beating of his heart.

Between dinner and their next meeting, Lucius took a minute duck into a bathroom and heave up his dinner. He was nervous (and maybe scared too). When he left it to return to the parlor he and uncle Riddle had spent the day in, he found it filled with no one he knew and instead brimming with souls dressed darkly and wearing severe bone-white masks that would have given him nightmares if he were seven years younger.

And in the middle of it all stood his dear uncle. The friend of his father.

He smiled and held out a mask just for him.

There was no choice for him. Lucius took it and pressed it to his face.

Smiling, uncle Riddle put a hand upon his shoulder and looked above him to the gathered spooks.

"Today, we will punish a blood traitor."

Several cheered.

The hand on his shoulder is strong and Lucius is using all his power not to be tense with fear as the leader of them went on.

"She not only married a muggle but _spawned _him an heir! Tonight," he paused letting the momentum build. "Tonight we will kill Eileen Prince!"

The room erupted with roars and cries of adrenaline pumped soldiers and Lucius realized just what his father's friend was aiming to make him into.

A killer.

xXxXxXx

They arrive at the little house with the moon watching from above. Staring at the shabby exterior and the other wilting houses around it, Lucius can't help but wonder what made Eileen give up her privilege and marry a man who was obviously little richer than a Weasley.

Did muggles have things like love potions?

Lucius didn't know.

Some of his fellow soldiers surge forth and he made to join them - if only because it was expected - but his uncle Riddle grabbed his arm. Turning to look into his leader's face, he sees something indescribable in his fierce eyes.

"Find the spawn and bring him to me, Lucius."

He bobbed his head. "Yessir."

Stepping into the house, he found things were already burning, things lay broken and strewn about, and if he paid closer attention, he could hear a man and woman screaming somewhere upstairs. Thinking as a scared boy would, he thought of all the obvious places a child may hide themselves. He flitted through the kitchen opening cupboards and anything large enough for a child to fit in and then moved on to the hall closet, next he tried the child's actual bedroom upstairs and was clued into the fact that he was not so young, he went to Hogwarts and was of _Slytherin_.

If only his mother had done her duty.

Digging around some more, he thought he heard a third cry rise up from the bedroom where no doubt Eileen Prince and her muggle man were. Hurrying down, he saw Bellatrix laughing as a boy, writhed under her unforgivable.

Taking out his own wand, he disarmed her and screamed;

"The lord wants him!"

She bared her teeth and was absolutely furious, but she was wise enough not to stop him from grabbing the curse boy and dragging him away. Out in the hall, Lucius got his first good look at him and was surprised to see it was the most hated Slytherin. Severus Snape.

Frail body shaking, he was bleeding from some cuts and when he managed to focus his eyes on Lucius for a moment, he tried to pull away; a plea half-uttered on his lips.

_No_.

He wanted to apologize. But, Lucius couldn't (Malfoys never say they're sorry).

Dragging him from the house, the blood-traitor and her filthy lover's screams hit a piercing pitch before dying altogether. Severus began to struggle then, crying:

"Mother!? Mother!"

Lucius shook him once.

"Stop that! You sniveling brat!" He yelled at the boy

He did stop shouting, but it was only so he could begin to whisper incessant prayers to gods Lucius knew couldn't be real. Reaching his uncle Riddle, he dropped the boy at his feet.

"Here you are, sir," he whispered.

Smiling an almost sympathetic smile down at the sobbing child, he crouched and gave him a hand. "Hello there," he whispered. "I am here to liberate you from these animalistic confines and offer you my help."

Severus, always such a vicious and pointed boy, snapped; "You have killed my mother!"

His father's friend's stare shifted away as he tapped at his chin with his fingers. "Yes..." he agreed slow and careful. "But, you see, she was a _traitor _to her kind. Marrying a muggle as she did! She deserved what happened to her!"

"She was my mum!" He countered back angrily. "_Mine!_"

Lucius hovered close, wanting to make the boy shut up before uncle Riddle did it (because he felt is method would be much more permanent). But instead of growing angry with the obstinate child at his feet, he took his chin and made him meet his gaze.

"_Listen _to me young man," he growled. "You either pledge yourself to me or you _die_!"

Severus began to shake. "I-I-I-"

"Yes! He pledges to you!" Lucius burst, not wanting to see a boy younger than he die right before his eyes.

His uncle Riddle looked at him then. "Does he?" he purred, "Do you promise that my dear Lucius? Because if he _betrays _me, it is your head that will roll as well."

Pale but adamant, Lucius nodded. "Yessir," he breathed.

"Excellent," his father's friend grinned and with his wand, he ripped away Severus Snape's sleeve and put his wand to the pale flesh. The boy screamed as the familiar insignia was burned into his skin; once done, Riddle let the child fall to the ground unconscious and beckoned Lucius forward.

Gulping, he did so and when his sleeve was push back and that burning, _digging _pain was inflicted upon him too; Lucius bit his tongue until he felt blood pouring from his lips.

Once done, Riddle stepped back and smiled at him.

"You two are dismissed."

Crouching to bring Severus up against him so they could apparate, Lucius bowed. "Yessir," he murmured.

And he took them away.

xXxXxXx

The morning light filtering through the tall windows of his bedroom, he continued to hold and rock the grieving child in his arms. He'd condemned them both. They were going to commit atrocities the same as the one they partook in last night. Severus would have to kill his own kind and Lucius would always have to know it was his fault.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled into the boy's ear.

Stopping in his weeping, Severus gazed up through his swollen eyes and asked; "Why?"

He frowned at his fellow Slytherin. "I have tied you to a madman," he replied.

Severus shook his head. "You _saved _me," he corrected. "And now I owe you my life."

"Oh no," he whispered. "No, no, no, no..." Lucius babbled. "What I did was intertwine our lives," he explained. Touching foreheads with the child, he said "Our lives are equal, do you understand me? What you do shall affect me and what _I _do will affect you from here on out."

Serious and adamant, Severus wiped away his tears and sat up with his own power. "Still, _thank you_," he murmured. "You didn't have to step in."

"What would your mother have thought?"

Severus frowned. "What would _yours_ have thought?"

Lucius chuckled quietly.

"Let's just agree it was the right thing to do, yes?"

"Fine," Severus relented.

Nodding, he gave the child a bit of a nudge and had them rise up.

"Seeing as you are essentially under my care now, why don't we eat something?"

A fleeting smile overtook his face as he aligned himself behind Lucius.

"Okay," he agreed.

Leading him through his home, Lucius knew nothing was ever going to be okay again, but he could do his best to keep this kid alive - if only to ease the guilty conscious he held.

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